Assessment of quality of life in peripheral artery disease three months after revascularisation surgery

Introduction:
Peripheral artery disease is often accompanied by a decrease in quality of life, which is often due to limited mobility and physical activity. The aim of the study was to assess the quality of life and walking distance of patients with peripheral arterial disease who underwent revascularisation.

Material and methods:
The study involved 100 patients diagnosed with peripheral arterial disease, qualified for planned revascularisation surgery. The research was carried out in the Department of Vascular Surgery and Angiology at the University Hospital Dr. A. Jurasz in Bydgoszcz. All subjects had pain-free and maximum claudication distance measured on a treadmill. Moreover, quality of life was assessed using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. The examination was performed twice: the first time 1–5 days before the planned revasculariation and the second time 3 months after the surgery.

Results:
A statistically significant improvement in the quality of life of patients with peripheral arterial disease was demonstrated in the following areas: environmental (29.34 vs. 30.87), physical (18.01 vs. 21.00), and psychological (21.12 vs. 21.88); p < 0.001. Pain-free claudication distance (p < 0.001) and maximum claudication distance (p < 0.001) also improved significantly. Patients who were ill for a longer period of time achieved a significantly greater improvement in their physical quality of life (p < 0.001). Improving the intermittent claudication distance was associated with an increase in the patients’ quality of life.

Conclusions:
Revascularisation is an important element of the treatment of peripheral arterial disease because it contributes to improving the quality of life of patients and increasing the incidence of intermittent claudication.